Pressure-regulator for water-supply mains



(No Model.)

DEWITT G. CRBGIER.

Patented May 9, 1882.

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, UNITED I STATES PATENT OEErcE DEWITT G. OREGIER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PRESSURE-REGULATOR FQR WATER-SUPPLY MAINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 257,557, dated May 9, 188 2,

Application filed August 12, 1881. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Be it known that DEWl'lT G. CREGIER, city engineer, residing in Chicago, Cook county, in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements relating to Pressure-Regulators for \Vater-Snpply Mains for Cities and Towns, of which thet'ollowin gis a specification.

1 provide a supply of water under a high pressure which shall be additional to and independent of the ordinary supply. The water for my system may be of a different quality.

The water from my system may be used to sprinkle streets, gardens, lawns, &c., to supply fountains for ornamental purposes, and, if the quality is proper, for washing, supplying bathingestablishments, and manufactories for various purposes; but itis more especially designed for two great uses in which a superior pressure is desirable--extinguishment of fires and the actuating of elevators and other machinery requiring small powers. maintaining a high and eqiiable pressure on myentire system without requiring a reservoir or stand-pipe.

My apparatus occupies but little space, and is largely automatic in its adaptation to the various conditions.

The accompanying drawings form a part of this specification, and represent what I conposition as in Fig. 1, to better show the con struction at that point. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through one ot'the devices for utilizing the pressure of the secondary system. Fig. 4 is an elevation of the forcing and equalizing means on a small scale.

Similar letters of reference indicate like parts in all the figures.

The ordinary water-pipes or system of waterdistribution are indicated by \V. They are supplied with water at a reasonable pressure, either from ariver at sufficient elevation or by pumping or otherwise. The pipes for my water sys- I provide for The elevation is'mainly tem may be laid parallel to or even in contact with the same.

A are the boilers; B, the stack; 0, a steamcylinder, and D a pump. These parts may be of any ordinary construction and arrangement; but it is essential that the furnaces and boilers shall have the capacity for generating a large amount of heat and supplying liberal quantities of steam in cases of emergency, as

when several fires occur simultaneously, and also that the furnaces and boilers, by banking the fires or otherwise, be capable of maintai'm operating this rod the draft in the furnaces may be largely controlled.

0 is a throttle-valve or adjustable cutofi' or expansion and gear, and C isa rod connected thereto. By operating this rod 0 the consumption of steam in the engine, and consequently the rate of working the engine and the rate of pumping, may be varied between wide limits.

E is the pipe which conveys the water from the pump D to supply the city.

To the pipe E, near the pump, I provide an upright casing, F, having a stuliingbox, F, around the top and an annular ledge or internal flange, F around the bottom. Within this plays a hollow cylindrical plunger, Gr, closed at the top and open at the bottom. This plunger, properly loaded, serves in two ways: First, it rises and sinks with fluctuations in the ratio of the supply to the demand for .water; and, second, its hollow interior, tightly closed except at the bottom, where it is entirely open, serves as an air-chamber by imprisoning a quantity of air and allowing the dividing-line between the air and the water to pulsate or rise and sink rapidly with momentary fluctuations in pressure due to the intermittent action of the pump and analogous causes. Care is taken to supply'air through asmall cock in the suction-pipe of the pump or otherwise, soas to keep the interior of G always nearly filled, and thus to allow the plunger and its contents to serve with a large amount of elastic action.

The loading of the plunger G is effected through separate weights G", which may be inserted and removed at pleasurein the opentopped carriage G. This carriage is bolted on the top of the plunger, and is guided by slides F of which I provide four, arranged as shown, connected to the casing F by arms F and united at thetop byatransverse training, F

It will be seen that when the water is consumed in the entire city at precisely the same rate as it is supplied by the pump the plunger G will remain stationary but the air imprisoned therein will expand and contract as the pump alternately passes its point ofmaximum delivery and its minimum delivery or deadpoint. The supply of water from the pump to the casing F will be variable or intermittent; but the flow from the casing F to the city will be constant and-the pressure nearly uniform. WVhen the consumption in the e11- tire'city exceeds the supply by the pump the pulsations in the water due to the strokes of the pump will continue to be extinguished, as before, by the elastic action of the air in the plunger G; but the general ormean pressure under the plunger being less than the gravity of the load on the latter, it will sink. When the consumption is less than the supply by the pump the plunger will rise.

H is a bell-crank lever turning on a tixed center, It, and carrying an adjustable weight, H,'on its horizontal arm. The upright arm connects to the rod B which operates the damper B in the stack and controls the intensity of the tire. It also operates the rod 0 which controls the consumption of steam in the engine, and induces the engine, and conscquently the pump, to change its speed the moment the lever 11 is changed in position. The horizontal arm of H rests on the rim of the carriage G. Whenever the plunger G- rises, indicating that the pump is working in excess of the powerrequircd,itlit'ts the weight H and shifts the rods B 0 so that the engine consumes less steam, and the draft in the furnaces is less, so as to produce less steam in the boilers. So soon as the consumption of water is in excess of the pumping, the plunger G sinks, causing the lever H- to sink, and consequently changing the position of the rods B (l in the opposite direction, giving more steam to the engine and more force to the fire. A stop, F arrests the motion of the lever H when it has descended to the extent which will'develop the maximum power of the apparatus, and the plunger may descend its full extcnt,performingits other functions of equalizing the flow without influencing the steam by any motion while it is in a low position; but so soon as the pumping has been sufficientlyquickened to raise the pressure throughout the city, and from its minute diminution again to the proper standard, the carriage G .motion of the engine and pump.

again rises into contact with the lever H,and reduces the consumption of steam and the I believe that the control of the engine by this automatic arrangement will be complete; but the control of the tires in changing from extreme conditions will require the active assistance of one or more attendants. Experience will decide whether the change from a small power to the full power of all the boilers and back again shall be best effected by alternately spreading and banking the tires in some or all the furnaces or by kindling and extinguishing the tires in certain furnaces. Leaving those. and many other questions of judgment, I will describe my provisions for callingattention to the conditions which require labor.

I is a double pulley, or a pulley wide enough to carry twojbelts. .lt is mounted on a fixed center; It, and turned by a belt, 1, leading from a small pulley on the main shaft of the engine. J is a pulley mounted on a center carried on the lever H. It is turned by'a belt, J, leading from the pulley I. J are pins projecting axially from the pulley J.

K is a hammer-head carried on a springarm, K, mounted on the fixed frame-work. The arm K projects beyond the head K, and its end is bent at a right angle, as indicated at K.

When the apparatus is working at or near the proper speed and the steam is properly controlled by the lever H the latter stands in such a middle position-that the pins J traverse aroundthe bent end of the arm.K without touching it. The pulley J may be made large or small and the pin or pins J made to describe alarge or small circle, as required; but the proportions must be such that when the action oi" the pump is much in excess, and the lever H ascends too high, the pins .1 will strike the bent end of the arm K and spring the hammer away from the bell and suddenly liberate it, inducing a smart stroke. This is repeated at the passage of each pin J When the reverse conditions obtain, and the lever H is held too low, as on the breaking out of a tire, and the sudden opening of one or more hydrants reduces the pressure under the plunger .G, the pin or pins J will at each passage strike the bentend of the arm K and induce a striking ofthe bell P bythe hammer in asufficiently different manner to be readily recognized by the attendants'that is to say, the hammer K will be moved against the bell and held there a moment sufficiently to produce a partiallydeadening effect on the sound of the bell. In the action under these conditions the hammer will be alternately pressed against the bell by direct force and liberated, the flexure of the free end of the spring-arm K being sufficient to allow the motion of J Under both conditions the bell will sound distinctly; but there will be a recognizable difference between the positive stroke due to excessive speed and the recoil stroke due to insufficient speed.

The high pressure exerted by the water in my system will work elevators and other small powers at any reasonable height in the city.

It will force the Water up through permanent systems of fire-pipes with which many modern manufactories and other large buildings are provided. It will supply water with more than ordinary facility and afford great assistance to the action of steam fire-engines and handengines. It will also in many or all portions of the city supply water directly from hydrants under sufficient pressure to be available by simply attaching a hose without imparting to the water any further power than is due to the pressure of the mains. I make this last mode of operation especially available by providing especial hydrants in those vicinities where the expense is warranted, which have provisions for a supply of hose in the immediate vicinity of the hydrant. Any properly-anthorized party running to the hydrant with proper facilities for opening can let on the water and make immediately available a sufficient length of hose to extend to the point desired and throw a stream immediately with the full force due to the high pressure in the street-mains.

L is a hydrant, and L the delivery-nozzle thereof. These may be of any ordinary character, but preferably of a style adapted for very easy and rapid engagement of the hose.

M is a reel turning on fixed bearings, and inclosed in a case, N, constructed under the sidewalk adjacent to the hydrant.

N is a cover secured by a fastening corresponding to that on the hydrant, and operating with the same wrench or key. The reel M is equipped with a hand-wheel easily reached from above. In case of fire, the cover N is unlocked and thrown back, the reel M partially rotated, ifnecessary, to bring up the end of the hose, and the hose seized, drawn out, and coupled to the hydrant, and drawn off from the reel and extended to the point desired. The water is now let on by the operating of the hydrant, and the watchman alone may hold the hose and extinguish a fire of considerable dimensions without waiting for the slower response which the fire department will make to the alarm which he has meanwhile given.

The hose should preferably be fabric alone, woven suflticiently close to be tight without rubber orperishable material. There will be plenty of time and help to thoroughly dry it, and insure its most favorable condition for endurance for a long period before it is again wound up on the reel and inclosed, as before.

Iesteem it importantto guard againstshocks when the plunger rises or sinks too far.

R is a spring attached in the position represented, and extending across so as to gently arrest the ascent of the carriage G when it tends to rise too high.

T indicates two or more springs bolted on the under side of the carriage G, and arranged to strike against the fixed framing below and a stuffing-box.

gently arrest the descent when the carriage G tends to descend too far. I

There is always more or less leakage through Any air accumulating more than sufficient to fill the hollow plunger G will sink the level of the water for a moment below the base of G; butsuch excess of air will soon escape through the stuffing-box F and allow the water again to rise to the bottom of the hollow plunger; but the air within the hollow plunger G is differently conditioned. It is sealed by the water. The water immerses the lower edge of Gaud rises within itto variableheights, according to the momentary changes of the pressure due to the action of the. pump and valves. It cannot escape through the open bottom. It is scaled against any access to the stuffing-box.

Modifications may details of the apparatus. Some of the parts may be used without the others.

What I have termed the carriage G may be of greater or less diameter. The air-chamber in the plunger may be extended. upward so as to occupy a portion of the interior of the carriage, and correspondingly increase the elastic action of the air on the surface of the water within the plunger. The means of guidin g the carriage may be varied.

I can vary the forms and proportions of the parts which effect the automatic regulation and the calling the attention of the attendant to an excessive elevation or depression of the plunger.

The junction of the pipe E to the plunger-- case F may be enlarged and rounded.

I believe that such water may be used with some success in my system conjointly with the pipes \V for carrying fresh and pure water. There is no objection to the use of pure fresh water for my system where it can be obtained.

I can provide a pipe (not represented) controlled bya cock or valve,delivering waterinto the carriage G to fill the interstices between the several weights G and to flow to any required height above the entire series of removable weights until the carriage G is nearly full. A stop-cock or siphon may he provided to facilitate the drawing out ofsuch water when required.

By making the carriage G large enough the removable load in the carriage may be water alone; but I prefer for general convenience the removable weights G of iron, lead, or other dense solid material, in convenient sizes for readyintroduction and removal, and using the water, it at all, as a means for addin g small increments thereto.

I propose to make the duplex system of water-supply and my peculiar hydrant L, reel N, and their connections the subject of a separate application for patent.

I claim as my invention- 1. In a system for supplying water from a pump or analogous forcing means, the plunger be made inmany of the TOO G, made air-tight at the top and sides and sealed with water at the bottom, in combination with means for depressing it with a yielding force, and with the case F, stuffing-box F, and pipe E, as herein specified.

2. The carriage G, open at top, and plunger G, open at bottom, in combination with each other and with the removable weights G guidesF pipe E, and pump I), as herein specified.

- 3. In combination with a pipe, E, and means for forcing water therethrough, the loaded hollow plunger G, hell I, hammer K, and means J actuated by the engine for operating the hammer,and actuating devices H for automatically bringing the operating means into and out of action as the plunger G rises and sinks, as herein specified.

4. In combination with the engine 0, pump D, pipe E, and loaded hollow plunger G, the 20 lever or movable piece H, operating the rods B (J to control the speed of the pump, substantially as herein specified.

5. In combination with a lever, H, actuated bythe rising and sinkingof the hollow plunger G, the pulley I and actuating-belt I, the pulley J and actuating-belt J, and pins J hammer K and bell P, arranged for joint operation, as herein specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set 30 my hand, at Chicago, Illinois, this 2d day of August, 1881, in the presence of two snbserib-' ing witnesses.

DEWITT O. O REGIER.

Witnesses HENRY MASON, D. J. SWENIE. 

